Delete or recover deleted Gmail messages

When you delete a message, it stays in your Trash for 30 days. After that time, it will be permanently deleted from your account and can't be recovered.

Delete messages

When you delete a message, it stays in your Trash for 30 days. After that time, it will be permanently deleted. If you want to remove a message from your inbox but you don't want to delete it, you can archive the message.